This invention relates to a method of producing an edible product of fish meat paste simulating crab leg meat and the edible product produced by the method. More particularly, this invention relates to a method of producing an improved substitute for crab leg meat which not only gives a particular oral sensation as if real crab leg meat were being eaten but also has an appearance closely resembling real crab leg meat and consequently has a high commercial value.
There are known various methods of making an edible product of fish meat paste simulating crab leg meat from fish meat paste mixed with suitable additives. The products obtained by the known methods are colored red so as to make them appear like natural crab leg meat, and there are known various methods of coloring the products. In one of them, which will be referred to as method I, one surface of a heat-coagulated mass of fish meat paste containing additives is colored red before it is cut into fiber-like pieces. In another method, which will be referred to as method II, such heat-coagulated mass is cut into fiber-like pieces, which are bundled into a rod-like core, the surface of which is colored by means of a brush. In a third method, which will be referred to as method III, a membrane of colored fish meat paste is formed on a plastic film by spraying, and a core is wrapped in the plastic film and consequently in the colored membrane. Method III is described in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 53-31938. In a fourth method, which will be referred to as method IV, a membrane of fish meat paste mottled with white and red is formed on a plastic film by a double-spraying method, and a core is wrapped in the membrane. Method IV is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-58970. Although the products made by methods I, II and III are colored, they do not resemble natural crab leg meat.
In method I, since the fiber-like pieces obtained by cutting a colored, heat-coagulated mass are bundled into a rod-like body, the uncolored surfaces of the fiber-like pieces are likely to appear in the surface of the rod-like body, so that the final product has an appearance quite different from real crab leg meat.
In method II, since a single color or a mixture of different colors are merely applied onto the surface of the core by a brush, the color and pattern produced are so monotonous that the final product looks different from actual crab leg meat.
In method III, the membrane in which the core is wrapped consists of a single layer, so that the color of the final product is monotonous. To obtain a product having a complex color, a mixture of colors, red and white for example, may be added to fish meat paste. The membrane made of the paste, however, becomes rosy or pink color, a mixed color of red and white, which is utterly different from the color of natural crab leg meat.
In method IV, the membrane is merely mottled with red and white, so that it is impossible to simulate the color tone and contour of natural crab leg meat.
In methods III and IV, since coloring is conducted by spraying only, it is likely that fish meat paste containing a coloring agent is sprayed beyond both sides of the plastic film, so that a considerable amount of fish meat paste is lost and the machine and its surrounding are stained with spray of the paste. With the spraying method, it is impossible to obtain a membrane of fish meat paste having a suitable width to wrap a core therein. If the width of the membrane is shorter than the circumference of the core, the membrane cannot cover the whole surface of the core, but some portion of the core is left exposed with resulting decrease of the commercial value of the product. On the contrary, if the width of the membrane is longer than the circumference of the core, the membrane extends to both side edges of the plastic film, so that the membrane is likely to be contaminated by the ambient atmosphere. This poses a problem from a sanitary viewpoint.